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US Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Halt Harvard’s Foreign Student Enrollment
A federal judge blocks Trump’s move to stop Harvard from enrolling foreign students, calling it retaliation amid campus protests over Gaza. Harvard wins major legal round as lawsuit continues.
ND
by News Desk
2025-06-21
US Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Halt Harvard’s Foreign Student Enrollment

A U.S. federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to prevent Harvard University from enrolling foreign students, allowing the prestigious Ivy League school to maintain its international programs while its lawsuit against the government proceeds.

District Judge Allison Burroughs, based in Boston, issued the ruling preserving Harvard’s certification to host and issue visa documents to international students, despite recent federal efforts to revoke it. The judge emphasized that while the court would allow Harvard’s operations to continue for now, the federal government retains the right to review the university’s admissions and visa policies through established legal processes.

The court’s decision follows Harvard’s May lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, after the agency abruptly revoked the school’s ability to enroll foreign students—a move critics described as political retaliation. The university argued the decision bypassed standard procedures and was aimed at punishing Harvard for its refusal to comply with Trump administration demands regarding campus protests, hiring, and admissions policies.

The backdrop of the case is a wave of pro-Palestine student activism at Harvard and other elite universities, where students have called for transparency on university investments linked to Israel and demanded divestment amid accusations of genocide in Gaza. The Trump administration has labelled these protests as “anti-Semitic” and portrayed Harvard as a stronghold of liberal bias and hostility toward conservative values.

The now-blocked order would have impacted nearly 7,000 international students at Harvard, who constitute about 25% of the student body and contribute significantly to the university’s financial and intellectual landscape. Without proper documentation, many would have been forced to transfer or leave the country.

In response to the ruling, Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming ongoing negotiations with Harvard and teasing a possible “historic” deal in the coming week. However, he did not share specific details of the proposed agreement.

“We have been working closely with Harvard,” Trump wrote. “If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.”

While the White House has yet to comment officially, the decision is seen as a temporary but crucial win for academic freedom, as tensions escalate between elite institutions and federal authorities over political speech, protest rights, and educational autonomy.
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